I would like to travel to visit other clubs and especially NATS. Being up in the PNW, we are pretty secluded from the rest of the hobby. Driving around the country is a big ask for anybody so I figured the next best thing would be to fly. But how do you transport two boats and accompanying equipment on a airplane? Does anybody have any ideas, tips, strategies, techniques for flying with two boats to different events? My first thought would be to build a protective wooden box. But for the battleships the box could be as heavy as the boat. Any ideas?
My advice? Don't. Fly to NATs, borrow a boat (prearranged, obviously, dont just show up empty handed haha). Battle for the week. Make some friends. See if a friend would hold a boat for you/transport it to the next NATs. Ship that friend said boat, trust friend to make sure it's good to go when the time comes.
(This is assuming we do schedule 24 Nats for Statesboro GA) If you can get to Savannah (closest airport to Statesboro) next summer I guarantee that if I don't have a boat you can borrow I know someone who does.
Actually, there is a real nice Suffren at that pond. It's exactly where I left it, just got to figure out where that is. (Hint: bring scuba)
crazy that is easier to travel with scuba gear than a boat. I have scuba gear. I don’t think I’ll be able to make it to 2024. Just learned that summer 2024 is the last summer semester I’ll have to take before I graduate.
You can get a battlecruiser in a golf bag travel case. Put as many supplies in the case. carry a few tools in your carry-on. (No razor knife) Not sure about batteries!
I've flown to multiple NATS with a boat. Get a hard case for the boat, it will get opened by TSA so make out easy to open close, you'll probably have some minor damage to fix but that was never a big deal for me. It does limit you on boat size but still plenty of good options, I did it with a cruiser a few years and a vdt others. One tool box of gear in your luggage, build reliable, use common parts, have some friends. Ship CO2 bottle and batteries or borrow from people driving. I wouldn't bother with two boats but it's really just another hard case and luggage fees so have at it. Again build reliable and/or use common and readily available parts. You really don't need to bring your whole workshop to NATS.
what kind of hard case? Or did you build your own. I was hoping to bring the Bismarck and Lutzow but it sounds like I’ll just bring the Lutzow.
I've thought about but haven't crunched or measured anything... But I'm wondering what I could get in the Harbor Frieght pelican knock off gun case. Maybe a Chester....?
I use a golf club case. it fits my cruiser and my convoy boat just fine. Both of the pictured boats are in the case to the left of my dog in the pic below. I bet I could fit two Chester-sized cruisers in my case and pack them super safely in foam. But like the guys above said, I would highly recommend leaving a boat with a friend who drives to NATS. there are many ways to get a boat there, and I 100% do not trust people who handle airline baggage. Except for SKY KING. he will fly forever in our hearts. a good Pelican Case could pretty easily hold a light cruiser like a Fiji or a Chester or something.
I think I got it from Chicago Case Company but it was probably about 20 years ago at this point that I bought it so my memory may be foggy. I'm sure there are tons of options with a little searching. A hard gold club case is probably your best bet, gun cases while long arent typically big enough in the other dimensions. Expect to spend a few hundred bucks on a good case. You could build your own but I dont think it would be worth the effort/cost and how well it would hold up would be on you vs commercial cases which are designed/engineered to hold up, but you do you. I fill the case with rigid insulation foam and then carve out the area for your boat/any other gear to sit. The less things can move/rattle around the better, but make it easy for the TSA people inspecting it to open/close so they dont damage much. It is what it is. Bismarck is probably too big without a custom case but a cruiser or battlecruiser can work well depending the the boat/case specifics. A pelican case with foam should work, just make sure the boat/gear is held snug. I think it was worth doing and helped me get to NATS that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to go to.
I would argue that you don't need to bring your entire shop to NATs because someone has brought their entire shop to NATs. That's why I bring my entire shop to NATs.
a bit of the egg crate stuff squished between the hard foam and the boat/stuff will help too. Biggest thing I realized with doing travel like this is that the Superstructure needs to be easily disassembled. that is your most absurd dimensional component. make that sucker so that you can break it down and stow it inside the boat if at all possible. I also usually remove my rudder and do some super protective stuff to the prop shafts.
This is the Ski and Pole Case I used to ship my USS Des Moines to Louisianna for Bruhaha one year. The good thing was it was expandable to fit almost any 1/144 ship packed in foam. If I remember correctly, it was about $100 to ship from California each way. The cost was based on weight, but mostly on length. I used UPS to ship as it was cheaper than checked luggage. I just sent it directly to the event and picked it up when I arrived. I did make the mistake of shipping it with many of the ships internals inside the ship, additionally packed in foam. Due to the case being thrown around during shipping, the items still found a way to bounce around and caused considerable damage to the ship. The case is great for shipping, but use a separate box for your radio, regulator, co2 tanks, etc.
I have used a Keyboard box from a band equipment company many times. Shipping costs are ridiculous now but It had been cheaper than checking it. The box for an 88 key keyboard will fit ships up to 52" and 12" wide with LOTS of extra foam for protection.
